10 Years Younger

“You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.” — Dave Barry

I’m a fan of periodic experiments for finding new ways to improve your mind and body.

My latest experiment is shedding ten years of age-related damage in ten weeks based on the book, Shed 10 Years in 10 Weeks, by Dr. Julian Whitaker and Carol Colman.

Given how much heart disease, cancer, … etc there is in today’s world, it won’t hurt me to put more techniques under my belt. I told some friends and colleagues about my experiment and they wanted me to share my notes, so here it goes …

Benefits of the Age-Loss Program

The book outlines the following potential benefits:

Lose a decade’s worth of fat and regain ten year’s worth of muscle.

Erase fine lines, diminish wrinkles, and restore youthful glow.

Boost your brain power and sharpen your memory.

Revitalize and enjoy your sex life.

Strengthen your immune system and prevent disease.

Recharge your spirit and regain your energy of yesteryear.

The Key to the Age-Loss Program

What I like about the book is that it’s not magic. It’s based on results from research and experience with more than 15,000 patients. It boils down to the following formula — eat the right foods, take the right supplements, exercise regularly, and control the negative impact of stress in your life. Dr. Whitaker does mention that the combination of supplements is especially important.

Wellness and Reversing Diseases

I really like the fact that Dr. Whitaker is focused on wellness over illness. He specializes in modeling from the best and sharing what works. I also like the fact that he focuses on “reversing” issues. For example, he has books on reversing diabetes, reversing heart disease, and reversing health risks.

10 Steps of the Age-Loss Program

Here’s a summary of the objectives of the ten steps, according to Dr. Whitaker and Colman.

Step

Objectives

Step 1: All Systems Go

Jump-start the rejuvenation process

Recharge your batteries

Regain a decade’s worth of energy and endurance

Step 2: Lose a Decade Worth of Fat

Restore your youthful metabolism

Shed those extra pounds and extra years

Lose up to ten pounds of fat

Step3: Renew Tired, Worn-Out Skin

Restore youthful radiance and glow

Slow down and reverse aging

Protect against sun damage

Step 4. Regain Ten Years of Muscle

Develop a youthful, sleeker body

Restore lean body mass

Become stronger, slimmer, and sexier

Step 5: Boost Your Brain Power

Sharpen your thinking

Improve your powers of concentration

Regain your mental edge

Step 6. Revitalize Your Sex Life

Restore your sexual vitality

Enhance your sexual function and performance

Extend your sex life into your 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond

Step 7: Rejuvenate While You Sleep

Restore youthful sleep patterns

Wake up feeling refreshed and renewed

Enjoy the extraordinary benefits of a good night’s sleep

Step 8: Recharge the Spirit

Enhance your feelings of joy and well-being

Shed the stress to shed the years

Awaken your senses and relax your body and mind

Step 9: Reinvigorate Your Immune System

Reinvigorate your immune system.

Build up your resistance to infection

Bounce back faster from colds, flu, and other common ailments

Step 10: Regain a Decade’s Worth of Health By Correcting the Glitches

Arthritis

Depression

Diabetes

Gastrointestinal Disorders

Heart Disease

Osteoporosis

Vision Problems

Supplement Routine

Here’s an example of the supplement routine, based on Dr. Whitaker and Colman:

When

Actions

Breakfast

Multi-vitamin

Vitamin C (500 MG)

Magnesium and Potassium Asporatates

Ginko Biloba (60 MG)

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Alpha Lipoic Acid (250 MG)

BioCoQ-10 (60 MG)

Chromium Picolinate (200 Micrograms)

Lunch

Multi-vitamin

Vitamin C (500 MG)

Dinner

Multi-vitamin

Vitamin C (500 MG)

Magnesium and Potassium Asporatates

Ginko Biloba (60 MG)

Optional

Green drink

Odorless Garlic

Olive and Oregano Oil

Skin Routine

Here’s an example of the skin routine, based on Dr. Whitaker and Colman:

Results So far

I’m only three weeks in so I don’t expect miracles. So far though I’ve dropped more than 10 pounds and I’m closer to my “fighting weight.” I have a lot more power hours throughout the day. I have a spring in my step and I feel a lot more powerful. I would expect that from any combination of the right foods, the right workout, and the right sleep. I guess the part that’s different is how quickly my nails and hair are growing and how fresh my skin is. I think that’s where the supplements are showing.

Lessons Learned

I’ve learned a few lessons so far that really help me:

Reduce friction. Rather than depend on sheer will power, I find ways to make it easier to fall into success. trade complexity for simplicity. Anything I can do to simplify or reduce friction, I do. For example, rather than run outdoors, I got a NordicTrack Elliptical so that rainy days didn’t get in the way.

Find the fun. I think anything long-term has to be fun. In general, we move towards pleasure and away from pain. For example, I originally was going to get a treadmill, but realized that I liked the idea of bounding on an Elliptical better. I also found that I need to play my favorite songs to associate fun to the pain of the workout.

Take weekends off. I doubt Dr. Whitaker would agree, but for me, it’s easier for me to push during the week, if the weekend is playtime.

Make it a routine. I found that I really have to make it a routine so the less I have to think about it, the easier it is to just do it. For example, even just scheduling time for the workout was important. I tested in the morning and tested at night, and while the morning is easier to make a routine, I find I like it more at night.

Find your personal success patterns. I experimented with a few different sleep patterns and found that if I wake up too early, I’m just no my most for the day. I really do measure my day in power hours. What good is having more time if you can’t use it? I finally realized that just by flipping through my past experiences, I could find success patterns that worked to draw from.

Turn your routines into checklists. I find that having a simple, scannable checklists go a long way (for example, the supplement routine, skin routine, and workout routine above helped me quickly visualize what I need to do.)

Find what works for you. I found the diet part of the routine a little tough to follow. I think the principles were sound, but it’s easier for me to just follow The Zone. (see A Zone Primer.)

Yeah, I was originally going to skip the supplements, but after checking with some doctor friends, it turns out the supplements actually match today’s recommendations (apparently the RDA is outdated.)

What also helped convince me was Dr. Whitaker’s personal success story of how the supplements helped him bike across the US at age 55. Throughout the book he also cites some amazing results from the supplements … and by amazing, I mean, really amazing.

For me, the key is having a set time for working out. That’s where I experimented the most. I currently work out at night, but I think I’ll shift to the morning in the winter.

The other is key is keeping it as simple as possible. A little bit of friction can add up. I want to glide into my routines. For the supplements, each bottle is marked whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I then fill three mini zip lock bags each day. It’s quick and I don’t have to think my way through it.

Thanks SO much for breaking this down into lists. I bought the book about a month ago, but I haven’t started it because it seemed like so much to take in initially. You’ve helped tremendously! I’ll try to keep you posted on my results.

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